14/08/2024
A giant timber head, has moved onto the next phase in its life, thanks to a substantial nudge from Mother Nature.
Constructed on the north shore of Kielder Water by the American artists collective SIMPARCH, Silvas Capitilas, more commonly known as the Forest Head, has kept watch over the changing landscape since 2009, but during the night of Storm Arwen in November 2021, it would not have seen four large neighbouring trees which struck a cruel blow, making a large hole in the head and creating severe structural damage which made it impossible to repair.
Having originally been a popular interactive artwork, where visitors could enter through the mouth and climb a small staircase to look out onto the landscape through the eyes, you could be forgiven for having a bid of sadness but believe it or not, this was almost part of the plan for Silvas Capitalis.
When the sculpture was originally created, the artists deliberately made the work entirely from wood so that eventually, it could be allowed to decay back into the forest leaving nothing behind. You could therefore be consoled that this was all natures plan, although the next phase came slightly earlier than anticipated and with incredible brutal force.
Moss, lichen and an unusual retreat for birds tells us that nature's takeover is underway, a process that will continue for at least 50 years before all signs of it ever being there have finally disappeared.
The Forest Head can still be visited but has been slightly modified from the original by closing the mouth to prevent public access to the now unstable interior.
